You know, I get that you have to dumb down certain concepts for civilian and non-defense tech insiders, but really - when you say stealth, it conjures up images of highly angled, multi-million dollar planes with exotic Radar Absorbent Materials on them.

I have this feeling there's 3 guys at DARPA who's job is to watch sci-fi movies all day long and then be like "fark it, let's build that, requisition $2 billion for new toilet seats, it ain't my money."

crotchgrabber:Dr Jack Badofsky: You mean the U.S., via Japan, is building a stealth dirt bike. Ain't an American manufacturer (maybe ATK...MAYBE) that can pull this off. KTM, Maybe, but most likely Japan.

DNRTFA?

BRD Motorcycles and Logos Tech.

Oh I see. Well, they must not be serious, then. For a second, I thought maybe they were going to try a ZERO bike or something. I thought the military was doing pretty well with the KLXs equipped with multi-fuel engines. I don't know why they're requiring 2 wheel drive, as that just adds complications (I know there are working systems, but why add the weight and points of failure?), and I can't imagine with this thing is going to weigh, especially for a soldier already carrying a lot of stuff.

I'll give those companies props for their development accomplishments so far, but I don't think they can handle developing hybrid machines. the closest of these is ZERO, but I understand they're having issues with the charges lasting as long as advertised. The rest are street bike companies, and would need to develop off-road chassis experience. And, none of them have any running hybrids, and I am unaware of their gasoline engine prowess. Not that there is a pressing need for these bikes right now, but there will be added time for that. I like that these companies are taking those bold footsteps into solving challenges of packaging performance and range into a bike with electricity, somebody has to do it. But, I still think they are not at a stage where they can handle designing mil-spec machinery. I hope they prove me wrong, as this is a new age we're getting into. Must be weird riding something eerily quiet and minus that rin-tin-tin-tin of a two stroke, or the b-b-b-b-b-b-b of a four stroke.

Yes, they help people notice you. If the response to being noticed is "being shot at", however, you may want to have a quieter motorcycle.

I would love a silent motorcycle, nothing between me and the road but wind noise. Alas, too many people around trying to murder me because they can't be bothered to pay attention while navigate a ton or two of steel propelled by explosions.

hardinparamedic:You know, I get that you have to dumb down certain concepts for civilian and non-defense tech insiders, but really - when you say stealth, it conjures up images of highly angled, multi-million dollar planes with exotic Radar Absorbent Materials on them.

What you're saying is they want an off-road electric scooter.

When I read the word "stealth," it conjured up images of maybe a bike and rider covered in a light absorbing optical camo or something to make you damn near invisible.

UncomfortableSilence:dittybopper: That Guy Jeff: Alas, too many people around trying to murder me because they can't be bothered to pay attention while navigate a ton or two of steel propelled by explosions.

Think for a moment how awesome that is: Two tons of steel propelled by *EXPLOSIONS*.

at first I was hoping for a dual sport bike or something with N117 style flat angle bodywork (which, lets be honest, would be pretty sweet) but it looks like this is just a hybrid drive electric offroad motorcycle.

The existing two wheel drive bikes like the Christini have not proven to be that much better at rough terrain than single wheel drive bikes with a capable rider.

They are very good bikes, but the cool thing about a good two-stroke 250 is that they are simple to fix and the high pitch of the engine makes them hard to pinpoint. Unlike a 4stroke thumping whose sound carries for miles and is easy to hear coming.

Dr Jack Badofsky:crotchgrabber: Dr Jack Badofsky: You mean the U.S., via Japan, is building a stealth dirt bike. Ain't an American manufacturer (maybe ATK...MAYBE) that can pull this off. KTM, Maybe, but most likely Japan.

DNRTFA?

BRD Motorcycles and Logos Tech.

Oh I see. Well, they must not be serious, then. For a second, I thought maybe they were going to try a ZERO bike or something. I thought the military was doing pretty well with the KLXs equipped with multi-fuel engines. I don't know why they're requiring 2 wheel drive, as that just adds complications (I know there are working systems, but why add the weight and points of failure?), and I can't imagine with this thing is going to weigh, especially for a soldier already carrying a lot of stuff.

I know nothing about bikes but having a second motor in front to drive the front wheel might have two advantages:1. Redundant power if the rear motor goes out2. More weight in front so the bike doesn't just do a wheelie and flip over when you unleash the ridiculous torque electric motors can put out from a standing start.

RogermcAllen:Dr Jack Badofsky: crotchgrabber: Dr Jack Badofsky: You mean the U.S., via Japan, is building a stealth dirt bike. Ain't an American manufacturer (maybe ATK...MAYBE) that can pull this off. KTM, Maybe, but most likely Japan.

DNRTFA?

BRD Motorcycles and Logos Tech.

Oh I see. Well, they must not be serious, then. For a second, I thought maybe they were going to try a ZERO bike or something. I thought the military was doing pretty well with the KLXs equipped with multi-fuel engines. I don't know why they're requiring 2 wheel drive, as that just adds complications (I know there are working systems, but why add the weight and points of failure?), and I can't imagine with this thing is going to weigh, especially for a soldier already carrying a lot of stuff.

I know nothing about bikes but having a second motor in front to drive the front wheel might have two advantages:1. Redundant power if the rear motor goes out2. More weight in front so the bike doesn't just do a wheelie and flip over when you unleash the ridiculous torque electric motors can put out from a standing start.

In answer to your points are:1. The drive wheels feed off of the same power source. The wheels (I assume) will not be driven independently. If they were, it would not work very well with the front wheel powered only as most of the weight is carried by the rear wheel.

2. You want the front end to be light as possible, just this side of headshake, since there will be many times where you will need to loft it over obstacles such as fallen trees, small ridges, rocks, etc. A light front end is your friend 95% of the time. Plus, a heavy front end makes the rider work much, much harder to keep the bike moving in the right direction, as body English plays heavily into maneuvering a dirt bike over terrain. When motorcycles accelerate, most of the weight is shifted to the real wheel anyway. Driven front wheels will aid in only the most slippery of conditions, and will not pay off as such in almost all missions. As someone mentioned, the Christini system (the most efficient front wheel drive sustem to date) works, but not enough to be a benefit to military specifications. It's more a detriment in most cases.

paulleah:The existing two wheel drive bikes like the Christini have not proven to be that much better at rough terrain than single wheel drive bikes with a capable rider.

They are very good bikes, but the cool thing about a good two-stroke 250 is that they are simple to fix and the high pitch of the engine makes them hard to pinpoint. Unlike a 4stroke thumping whose sound carries for miles and is easy to hear coming.

Even with all of their benefits, you will not find any two-stroke bikes in the U.S. military arsenal. They require machines that can run using multiple fuel types (diesel, kerosene, etc.) and two-strokes only add complexity in that scheme. As I mentioned before, the military has been using Kawaskais to great effect for years, as the bikes met the requirements of multi-fuel, and adaptability.the may not be the lightest bikes on the planet, but they do fit the bill. Plus, with their quiet exhausts, they don't broadcast their presence like current motocross bikes do. The mil-spec KLXs are very comparable to the older Chevy diesels, as they are very dependable.